The Sacrament of Reconciliation is for our spiritual healing. According to the Gospels, after the Resurrection, Jesus appeared to the apostles, breathed on them, and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven them; whose sins you shall retain, they are retained.” (John 20:22-23) That’s why Jesus left this sacrament, to heal our spiritual wounds, which we call sin.

Catholics must confess all known mortal sins to a priest. By doing this, we put ourselves in the state of grace necessary to receive the Holy Eucharist. Any venial, or minor, sins we have committed are forgiven by receiving Holy Eucharist.

Telling our sins to a priest isn’t as scary as people think. Most people tell sensitive, delicate and confidential information to their doctor or lawyer, so why not your priest? The priest is bound by the most absolute secrecy and confidentiality known to humankind. Not even the pope can get a priest to reveal who they heard confession from, or what they said.

FAQs

What are the times for Confession at St. Angela Merici?The Sacrament of Reconciliation, or confession, is held every Saturday from 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. in the church. During Lent and Advent a Communal celebration of the Sacrament of Reconciliation may be celebrated. Please check the bulletin for more information.

Private confession is available by appointment with any priest.

It's been a long time. How do you go to confession today?

First, we examine our conscience by reviewing the Ten Commandments and identifying those that we have broken. And we must have perfect contrition for these sins; in other words be truly sorry for them and resolved to not repeat them.

We enter the confessional and greet the priest. We say, “Bless me Father for I have sinned, it has been (x days, months, years) since my last confession.”

We confess all our mortal or serious sins and answer any questions the priest may have.

The priest will give you a penance. A penance is some action or prayer to remind ourselves of our desire to change.

When we have finished confessing we say an Act of Contrition. There are different kinds of the Act of Contrition, the priest will help you if you no longer remember it.

The priest will say the prayer of Absolution to absolve you of your sins.